At this point, comic book fans should be pretty happy with how gaming is treating them: sure, there aren't that many comic book titles coming out, but the ones that are being released are pretty great. Just look at how pretty Batman: Arkham Knight is!
Of course, there's always the alternative: superhero games used to be a much more frequent occurrence, but that doesn't mean they were any good. For every Spider-Man 2, there were a dozen Justice League: Task Forces. Things didn't get any better when studios started attaching them to films, either: Marvel may have had success on the silver screen, but when it comes to gaming, it's not a pretty picture. Sadly, DC's games were arguably even worse.
So, with Batman: Arkham Knight just around the corner, let's take a trip back in time and remember how bad things used to be. In no particular order, here are the 10 Worst Superhero Games of All Time:
Superman 64
Release date: May 31, 1999
Platform: Nintendo 64
Let's get the easy one out of the way first: Superman 64 is a game in which players spend the vast majority of their time as one of the strongest beings in the universe flying through brightly-colored rings. That's bad enough on its own ... but somehow, the game only gets worse from there.
Chances are, if you've been into gaming for any sizable period of time, you know how bad this game is. If you don't know about the horror that is Superman 64, try it out — every other game you ever play afterward will be perfect in comparison.
Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
Release date: July 3, 2003
Platform: GameCube, Xbox
It's never a good sign when your game is compared with Superman 64, is it?
Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis was already stuck with one of DC's C-grade characters, but toss in awful graphics, a nonsensical plot, invisible walls, boring gameplay and a game that'll barely run on a GameCube, and you've got a recipe for one of the worst games ever made.
At the very least, Aquaman's pretty cool in Injustice: Gods Among Us ... just don't go looking for other games that bear his name.
The Uncanny X-Men
Release date: December, 1989
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Let's be honest: the Nintendo Entertainment System was full of terrible games. It's a byproduct of that time in the industry — gaming was so new that companies didn't care about making decent games, and players had no idea of telling what was good or not before making a purchase.
The Uncanny X-Men is a perfect example of this bygone trend: LJN clearly had no interest in making something that worked properly, and gamers were duped into buying the cartridge simply because it had X-Men plastered on the front. Thankfully, we've left those days behind us ... right?
Catwoman
Release date: July 20, 2004
Platform: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Not only was Catwoman DC's greatest big-screen flop, but the game somehow managed to be even worse. Look, there's nothing wrong with beat-em-ups, but you should probably make sure that punches and kicks can actually hit an enemy before you ship the game out.
Oh, and that infamous idle animation that shows off Halle Berry's leather-clad body ... for 10 minutes straight? That's not sexy — it's straight-up creepy.
Silver Surfer
Release date: November 1990
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
There's nothing wrong with making a difficult game — titles like Dark Souls and Bloodborne can attest to that. Of course, you probably want your players to be able to actually finish the game ... and that's where Silver Surfer falls apart.
"Bullet-hell" shooters are known for their crushing difficulty, but Silver Surfer took it to another level, simply because you couldn't hold the "Fire" button down. Take a look at the footage above and imagine pressing a button for each and every shot ... and then multiply that over an entire game. To put it simply: there are easier ways to get arthritis.
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects
Release date: September 20, 2005
Platform: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
While it's true that 2D fighters dominate the market these days, back when the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox were king, there were actually some decent 3D fighters.
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects is not one of them.
It's the definition of a button-masher, but not in a good way: players seemingly have little control over what exactly their character is doing, and most matches boil down to opponents throwing debris back and forth at one another. Fun!
Iron Man
Release date: May 2, 2008
Platform: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
You know how there aren't many movie tie-in games anymore? Iron Man is one of the reasons why.
The reason that the first Iron Man movie took off like it did is because of how much fun it is to watch: there's plenty of shooting, flying and Tony Stark being ... well, Tony Stark. The Iron Man game has none of that — but it does have awful controls and a tendency to freeze for no reason!
The Incredible Hulk
Release date: June 5, 2008
Platform: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Speaking of terrible Marvel movie tie-ins, it's The Incredible Hulk — also known as the game that tried to be Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and failed miserably.
If you need an example as to why The Incredible Hulk was so bad, know this: there are large sections of the game in which the Hulk stands knee-deep in the ground. Games can have lousy controls or bad graphics and still come out alright ... but if you're having trouble getting the ground to work, maybe gaming isn't the right industry for you.
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Release date: March 18, 2003
Platform: GameCube, Xbox
These days, all anyone can talk about is how excited they are for Batman: Arkham Knight. Back in the day, however, Batman games were about as well-received as a dirty diaper.
The problem with Batman: Dark Tomorrow is that it could have been great: there are some decent ideas within the game ... they're just buried under the terrible controls, combat, camera, characters and story.
OK, so ... maybe it was doomed from the start — but at least things have gotten better!
Thankfully, it won't be too much longer before we can purge these games from our collective memories altogether: Batman: Arkham Knight is due out on June 23.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
